Who Should I Start? Michael Penix Jr. or Caleb Williams

Sunday, January 5, 5:07 PM

Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. went 21-for-38 with 312 yards, two passing scores and an interception during their overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers. Penix added five yards and score on his lone carry. After averaging just 212.5 passing yards during the first two games of his career, Penix enjoyed a strong finish to the 2024 campaign, despite falling just short to the Panthers. The Washington product leaned on his top wideout Drake London as he threw to him 18 times. London also brought in both his touchdown passes and finished the day with 187 receiving yards. The 24-year-old has tallied four total touchdowns over his first three NFL games but sits with a 1-2 record, with both of his losses coming in overtime. Fantasy managers should expect Penix to be in the driver's seat to open as the team's starting QB in 2025.

Tuesday, April 1, 11:47 PM

Chicago Bears new head coach Ben Johnson said the team plans to go "back to the basics" with quarterback Caleb Williams heading into his second year as a pro after a disappointing rookie campaign after he was the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft. "It's the fundamentals of the quarterback position: What's our footwork going to look like under center? From the shotgun? What are we calling the formations? What's the defensive identification going to look like? So that we're all speaking the same language," Johnson said. The 23-year-old will take more snaps under center during offseason workouts to gauge his comfort level. Chicago ran 70.8% of their plays from shotgun in 2024 (tied for 16th-most), but the Lions lined up in shotgun less than any other team under Johnson. Williams took a league-high 68 sacks last year, so using more play-action should help better protect him. On paper, the addition of Johnson should be excellent news for Williams' development.